Columbia River & The Dalles

Sep 28, 2017 - National Geographic Sea Lion

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As the National Geographic Sea Lion approached The Dalles Dam early this morning, we had a wonderful view of Mount Hood. This massive mountain dominates the surrounding landscape, and is one of several volcanos in the Cascade Range of the Northwest.

Today would be our first day on the mighty Columbia River, after spending the previous two on the Snake and Palouse Rivers. We spent the whole day exploring around The Dalles, a city that had been the end of the Oregon Trail for travel by wagon, it was a river float from here. There was visiting the Discovery Center and bike riding in the morning, and the Maryhill Museum and Cascade Cliffs Winery in the afternoon.

About the Author

Rich Kirchner has worked as a naturalist in Antarctica, Alaska, the Bering Sea, Baja and the High Arctic, including Greenland, the Canadian Arctic and Iceland. His 25 years as a professional wildlife photographer has granted him international publication credits included in magazines such as Geo Germany, Geo France, Natural History, Audubon, National Wildlife and Ranger Rick, as well as more than a hundred books.